Subject: [Tweeters] All star eagle day at Edmonds
Date: Apr 12 23:03:49 2010
From: Bill Anderson - billandersonbic at yahoo.com


Three of us members of the Mile Post 18 gang had our first osprey sighting of the year today off Sunset Ave.? We were not the only ones paying close attention to the osprey. Patchy and Bismark, our resident pair of adult bald eagles,?were in their usual perch in the tall trees at the north end of Sunset Ave. and took off over the Sound after the osprey. I don't know if it was a jurisdictional dispute or an attempt to steal a meal.? They eventually broke off the chase, but were still screeching?when they returned to their perches.

As I was eating lunch at the underwater dive park, the older juvenile we call "Bandito" (for his mask) landed in the fir tree at the corner of Sunset Ave. and Edmonds Street.? Patchy and Bismark perched there often last winter, but I haven't see them do it recently.? Bandito got the usual hostile reception from the local minions of the Dark Lord,?the birds?you?call "crows."? They made several routine strafes just to show the young eagle who really owns Sunset Ave.

Meanwhile, back at the north end of Sunset Ave., one of the two young juveniles we call "the twins", had perched on Patchy and Bismark's favorite tree. Patchy and Bismark, sitting in a nearby tree and still?smarting over?the osprey incident, began screeching at the juvie.

The eagle action intensified?at Pt. Edwards. Three of us standing on the Pt.Edwards walkway watched one of "the twins" circle the grounds of the dismantled tank farm below us.??The juvie bald eagle?dove and?caught a bird, which it?held briefly in its talons before?transfering it to its mouth in midflight.???When viewing?my photos on my home computer, I? zoomed in on the prey, but could not recognize it. There were ducks and Canada geese in the area. The Canadian honkers made quite a fuss as the eagle passed by.

The eagle action was not yet over. From where we left them perched on their favorite tree about a mile north of us on Sunset Ave., Patchy and Bismark flew towards us to?another of their?favorite?trees, the tallest one?on the fish hatchery grounds.??? We wondered if they had spotted the juvenile eating its meal somewhere under the trees below us. The juvenile flew up and suddenly Patchy or Bismark appeared flying near it. The juvenile disappeared again, but the adult remained perched in a tree over?the large?pond south of the marsh, giving me an opportunity for?a train + eagle shot.

After a short time, the adult flew down to the?pond below and spent quite some time skinny dipping.??The shots with my 100-400 zoom weren't bad considering we were at least 400 yards away,?but it? was one of those times?I wish I had?Canon's 800mm telephoto len$.??? After skinny dipping, the adult perched on a snag across from the walkway to dry off. It kept repositioning its wings, cormorant style.?? After a while it?flew back to the tree on the fish hatchery grounds to continue drying.? All this time its mate was perched on the mast of the "Avatar" in the Edmonds marina, yet another of their favorite "trees."
Bill Anderson; Edmonds,WA.